The largest value of a function over its entire domain is called what?

• A. Local Maximum
• B. Global Maximum
• C. Maximum Value
• D. Ceiling

Answer: (B)

Think of peaks on a graph. A local maximum is a point that sits higher than its nearby points, but there might be even higher values somewhere else. The largest value the function attains across its entire domain is the global maximum. It’s the highest y-value the function reaches, provided such a value exists. If the function can grow without bound, there is no global maximum. The term “maximum value” describes that top value itself, but the standard name for the peak over the whole domain is the global maximum. The word “ceiling” is unrelated here, since it means rounding up to the nearest integer.